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Friday, June 28, 2013

The Hidden Art of Homemaking - Drama (Part I)

With two girls (plus myself) I think sometimes there is quite a bit of drama in the house. Of course, that is not the kind of drama that Mrs. Schaeffer is talking about, but....

Okay back to the topic. When I think of the word drama I think of plays and poetry recitations to name a few and while there are are well and good sometimes they aren't always feasible. Mrs. Schaeffer gives such a great and easy suggestions for adding drama as a 'hidden art' to your home--reading aloud!

Reading aloud is the best outlet that I know of for hidden dramatic ability. It is the development of speaking ability, and the least complicated exercise for the use of one's voice and expression. p.148

I have had to work hard to make reading aloud a 'hidden art' in our house. I still haven't figured out to to have a family read aloud time, but 2-3 kids out of 4 is better than none! Of course, I'm fighting my 'ideal' picture of what reading aloud looks like in our home vs. what actually happens.

I think my oldest, Caleb, is the one who has received the short end of the stick in this department. Thankfully, I did read aloud a lot of his history books and a few of his literature books until I needed him to be more independent in his work.

Having my two middle children, Destini and Chantry, do the same year from Ambleside Online has helped me carve out a time for read alouds. We have had some great times reading aloud such books as Swallows and Amazons, Half Magic, The Princess and the Goblin, The Reb and the Redcoats , and so many more. I also read aloud their history books and science book to them aloud. We all tolerate the science and then just hang on to every word of history. Destini is very capable of doing all the history and science readings on her own, but it is something I really enjoy doing and I can't give it up. It is as Mrs. Schaeffer describes:

You are plunged into the life of the characters in the book, you identify with another moment of history, another part of the world, another person's imagination--and you exchange glances of amusement, excitement, appreciation, understanding-or you laugh aloud together. p.149

Even though Delani, the youngest, has been grown up and hearing me read aloud to the other kids I did struggle for awhile to carve out a time to read books to her. In the last year or so I have been more intentional in doing this and it has really paid off. She loves books and loves to be read to. Even though she is five we still read a lot of picture books, but then again I enjoy picture books and have even been know to cry over them.

I have also been able to expose my kids to doing a little drama with poetry recitations and some puppet shows. The three older kids have competed in a competition that is offered for our church organization. Both boys have done poetry recitations and Caleb and Destini have done puppet shows. Destini is my one who has a flair for drama, but really struggles with getting up in front of people so she gets to hide behind the puppet screen.

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Reading Julius Caesar. Yes, they insist on reading Shakespeare

standing up!

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Another way I have been able to add drama to our house is with reading Shakespeare. A couple of years ago I asked a couple of older girls in church if they would be interested in coming over and reading through a Shakespeare play and they did. Now after almost two years we get together almost every Sunday evening and read through our current play. Right now we have five reading and soon I'll have Chantry join us. This has been a fun way of doing Shakespeare.

In my mind I have the perfect picture of the whole family gathered in the living room while I read aloud, but unfortunately it never looks like that. Many times when we get really busy the read aloud time just falls to the wayside. Since it something I really enjoy doing and know that it is good to do as a family I just keep striving for my 'ideal' and maybe one day I'll reach it since I truly desire what Mrs. Schaeffer is encouraging in this chapter--being together.

Since I'm getting long winded here and I had just a couple of more thoughts I'm going to stop here and put my other thoughts in another post.